Dragonpox and Flying
by Aerin Blair
Summary: Harry has a problem with minding his own business, and Draco has a secret.
1. Curiosity and the Lion

**Title:** Dragonpox and Flying  
**Rating:** Chapters will vary but the story in general will be somewhere around PG-13 or a soft R.  
**Summary:** Harry has a problem with minding his own business, and Draco has a secret.  
**Author's Notes:** I am not exactly certain that Harry's Invisibility Cloak survived Deathly Hallows and don't feel like looking it up... if it didn't, pretend it did.  
Set in the mythical extra year - in my little world, McGonagall is Headmistress.  
Oh, and reviews make me so happy I could cry xD

**Chapter I: Curiosity and the Lion**

The first morning Harry noticed that the blond was not at the Slytherin table for breakfast just as now-Headmistress McGonagall stood and cleared her throat to make an announcement.

"I regret to inform you that Draco Malfoy has contracted a very virulent strain of dragonpox, and has been removed from the student body. I must ask that you respect his quarantine and do not attempt to seek him out until he is well." She nodded sharply to show she was finished and sat back down.

Hermione, of course, immediately erupted into a recital of everything she knew or had ever read about dragonpox, while Ron, his arm around her, added occasional comments like "Yeah," "My cousin had it for three months, it was bloody awful," and "Hope the bastard's enjoying it," whenever she paused for a breath.

Harry, however, did not join in. The entire situation seemed rather suspicious to him. If Draco Malfoy was really sick, why was he still here? Especially since most of the student body had treated him like Hippogriff dung since the beginning of the year - why not take the excuse to leave?

Although Harry had testified on his behalf during the summer at one of the many trials, the fact that Draco had not killed Dumbledore was seen by many people simply as a result of Severus Snape getting there first. The Malfoys were lucky to have escaped prison, and many of the students seemed to think that it was their job to make up for that. Harry had seen more tripping hexes and jelly-legs jinxes in the last week than his entire other six years at Hogwarts.

That night, in the dormitory, he closed the curtains around his bed and muttered a "Lumos" to his wand, then unfolded the Marauders' Map and whispered "I solemnly swear I am up to no good. Where is Draco Malfoy?"

The map went blank, and then two words appeared: Not found.

That was when Harry began to think something was wrong.

He began carrying the map with him, checking it when he woke up in the morning, between classes, during lunch - each time, the same message came up: Not found.

He didn't tell Ron or Hermione about it - they seemed to have completely dismissed the matter. As a matter of fact, nothing seemed very important to them anymore, at least nothing other than each other. Harry had listened to them banter ("I love you." "No, I love you more." "Oh no, I love _you_ more!") so much that he found himself actually doing his homework in the common room at night, just to try to block out the ridiculous sappiness.

He almost regretted breaking up with Ginny - she would have at least provided a distraction. But during the summer, he had realized upon spending more time with her that while he loved her, he wasn't in love with her. There was something missing.

Thankfully, she had realized the same thing, and the breakup was amicable - but now that she had begun dating a Ravenclaw, she didn't spend as much time in Gryffindor, leaving him alone to deal with the lovebirds.

Finally, after a week of checking the map time and time again, Harry was about to give up. Perhaps there were wards on wherever Malfoy was in the castle. Maybe he'd gone home after all.

That night, he stayed up late doing his homework, then sleepily asked the map one more time to find Draco Malfoy. "Not found" displayed again, and he yawned, took off his glasses, tucked the map under his pillow, and rolled over to sleep.

That night he dreamt about the fragmented soul of Voldemort, flayed and crying in the train station. He awoke with a start and found himself covered in sweat, hands clenched into fists. Lighting his wand to straighten the sheets, he took a few deep breaths and then tried to clear his mind - a pointless exercise now that Voldemort was gone, but a comforting one nonetheless. As he turned over to go to sleep, he heard paper crackling under his pillow, and pulled out the map annoyedly. He almost shoved it out the curtains, but out of the corner of his eye, saw that it had changed. He pulled it closer and summoned his glasses.

A tiny dot labeled "Draco Malfoy" was the only thing showing on a section of map labeled "The Astronomy Tower". It was near the edge and not moving.

Hurriedly, Harry summoned his invisibility cloak and slipped out as silently as possible - Neville made a faint noise in his sleep as Harry stepped on the creaky board just before the stairs.

He kept looking at the map as he navigated the hallways, trying to get to the Tower as quickly as possible. The dot didn't move, and he hurried his pace. There was something going on here, and he wanted to know what it was.


	2. Feathers and Falling

**Title:** Dragonpox and Flying  
**Rating:** Chapters will vary but the story in general will be somewhere around PG-13 or a soft R.  
**Summary:** Harry has a problem with minding his own business, and Draco has a secret.  
**Author's Notes:** The grand secret is revealed! Oh noes! My favorite chapter is the next one, though :] you'll see.  
Reviews are the best. EVAR.

**Chapter II: Feathers and Falling**

Harry found himself at the foot of the stairs to the Astronomy Tower within just a few minutes - six years of wandering the school meant that he knew the fastest ways to get almost anywhere. He folded the map closed and mounted the stairs as quietly as he could, on tiptoe, but he felt like he was as loud as Hagrid.

When he got close enough to see the door, he saw it was open, and redoubled his efforts to be silent. Perhaps it was his body finally growing to its full potential, but he'd been annoyingly clumsy for weeks now. He inched closer to the doorway, then finally eased out and looked around.

To his right, there was nothing, just the stars and the slight glow of lights against the sky from the direction of Hogsmeade.

To his left, though, the full moon was rising, fat and almost yellow, balanced for the moment on the edge of the Tower. And leaning against one of the gaps in the edge, staring up at it, was Draco Malfoy's slight body, silhouetted against its light, and oddly, not wearing a shirt.

Harry thought at first that he was wearing a cloak which was blowing oddly... then realized there was no wind. He squinted, wondering if he needed new glasses yet again. Then Malfoy shifted and turned slightly, and the outline of his body against the moon brought the odd shape of the shadows behind him into sharp relief, and Harry gasped.

There were wings sprouting from his back, feathered and reaching from above his head almost halfway down his calves. The shadows couldn't hide how the light of the moon glinted through the edges of the white feathers.

But Harry only saw their full glory for a moment, because as soon as he gasped, Draco spun, bringing his hand up as if he had pulled his wand.

"Who's there?" he demanded in a harsh whisper, a quaver at the back of his voice as his hand fell again, dangling helplessly by his side. He did not have his wand. Harry pulled his own from his waistband and stepped closer, crouching to keep the invisibility cloak from showing any hint of his feet.

"Damnit, show yourself!" Malfoy hissed, clenching his hands into fists; Harry could see the wings behind his back spread a little, like the hair rising on a cat's neck. He was glaring fiercely in Harry's general direction, his usually-perfect hair tousled.

He took a deep breath, then dropped the Cloak, hoping that his assumption that Draco was wandless was true.

There was no sound for a second, as shock froze Draco's face, the edges of the wings behind him glinting as they caught the light. Harry said nothing, his inner voice (which sounded suspiciously like Hermione) demanding why in the world he had done such a stupid thing, and could he _ever_ just keep his nose out of other's business, and sneaking up on Draco had gotten him cursed before, now hadn't it?

Draco's face changed, somehow, and Harry caught his breath as the blond's tongue slid over his lips. A tiny smirk graced his face, and Malfoy stepped forward, eyes on his and his wings spread further than ever. He parted his lips and whispered, "Up here all alone, are we, Potter?" with his usual drawl.

Harry panicked, tried to run backwards somehow, tripped over his own legs, and started scrambling back, trying to get to his feet, wand in hand. But Draco had frozen, staring at him. He shook his head, violently, then brought his hands up to his temples.

"Potter, go, now," he grated, not looking up.

"No!" Harry answered defiantly, unsure why he'd refused but considering removing himself to Saint Mungo's if he could miss classes.

"Potter, if you do not leave right now or curse me unconscious, I will not be able to keep myself - " his breath hitched, and he looked up. Harry felt a twinge of fear at the desperate look on his face - "From touching you. You want that even less than I do, I'd wager."

"I want to know what's going on," Harry snarled back, raising his wand and drawing on his famed Gryffindor courage to take a step closer.

Draco _moaned_, hands digging into his upper arms as if he was hugging himself. "Go. Now. Ask McGonagall. Before I do something I regret," he gasped out, and spinning, he ran for the edge of the wall, then vaulted over it in one smooth motion.

Harry almost choked, his scream catching in his throat and making some sort of noise like a strangled cat. He was to the wall, the stone pressing into his hip bones hard as he leaned over the edge, before he knew it. Memories of Dumbledore's death, the body lying limp and broken on the ground, filled his mind, and he almost sobbed when he saw Malfoy gliding slowly back and forth towards the bottom of the Tower before landing safely and folding his wings.

He left the Astronomy Tower at a run, not even stopping as he barely caught the Invisibility Cloak in his fingers, taking the stairs three at a time. When he reached the bottom he could tell he'd sprained his ankle but he ignored it and kept running, reaching the now-repaired statue and shouting, "I need to see the Headmistress!"

The statue stood silent for a moment as he panted for breath, bracing his hands on his knees and letting some of the blood back into his head.

"It's important," he gasped, tucking his wand in his waistband and stuffing the Invisibility Cloak in his pocket. "Please!"

Finally, it moved aside slowly, and as soon as he could get through the gap, he started up the stairs, still breathing hard. When he got to the door and opened it, he found McGonagall sitting in the chair behind the desk, an irritable expression on her face. He stopped for a second, struck by how different the office seemed now that Dumbledore was gone. The silvery gadgets that had scattered the room were gone, replaced by books and potted plants. But the portraits on the walls remained. Harry let his eyes skip over Phineas Black's blank picture, and felt a twinge of sadness as he saw Dumbledore snoring as he leaned against his picture's frame.

"Well, Mr. Potter? What is so important that it requires waking me up at three in the morning?" she snapped, nodding towards a chair. He stepped closer, but didn't sit down. In the well-lit, warm office, what he was about to say sounded illogical, ridiculous even, but he opened his mouth anyway.

"I saw Malfoy on the Astronomy Tower and he had wings and he told me to come talk to you," he blurted out, feeling like a first-year again. McGonagall's lips drew together in a thin line.

"By which you mean, unlike the other students in this school, you felt the need to seek out Draco Malfoy after being strictly forbidden to disturb him, and thereby found out something that you were not supposed to know," she hissed. "Malfoy is part Veela, from his father's side of the family."

At Harry's blank stare, she continued. "That means, Mr. Potter, that he is going through a very difficult maturation process right now. For the next month or so, he will have the wings that you saw. He is being kept away from the student body for a few reasons. One of the unfortunate consequences of the change is that he cannot use magic, leaving him undefended against his fellow students. He also has a nearly uncontrollable desire to touch other mal- others - " here she reddened, just a little, " - and of course, the wings he currently has are nearly impossible to hide. The most important reason, is that if the Ministry finds out out that he is part Veela, he would be removed from this school immediately."

"Oh," was all Harry could find it in himself to say.

"Yes, Mr. Potter, oh," she echoed him.

"Is there anything I can do to help him?" he asked, immediately wishing he could take the words back. McGonagall looked at him measuringly.

"He has been supplied with his notes on a daily basis by me, and the house-elves have brought him food and whatever other items he has needed. However, I know that he has found his isolation difficult already." She stood up, crossing her arms. "If you would be willing, Potter, I would allow you to visit him after classes in the evenings."

"But he doesn't like me," Harry said, bewildered.

"Yes, and that is exactly the reason that I'm allowing you. He needs to gain control over his desire for... contact... as soon as possible, or when he is allowed to re-integrate into the student body, it will become a problem. His dislike of you will lead him to fight his instincts. You also have the magical strength to fight him off." She moved towards the door of the office. "I will see you in my office after dinner tomorrow night."

"Yes, ma'am," he answered, taking the hint and leaving the office as quickly as possible, starting down the stairs as she closed the door behind him.

As the statue shut, he ran his hands through his hair with a sigh.

What had he gotten himself into now?


	3. Butterbeer and Cards

**Title:** Dragonpox and Flying  
**Rating:** Chapters will vary but the story in general will be somewhere around PG-13 or a soft R.  
**Summary:** Harry has a problem with minding his own business, and Draco has a secret.  
**Author's Notes:** Harry prepares to visit Draco.  
Thanks to kanawale for the reccomendation at do_me_veela on Livejournal! And thank you, sincerely, for the reviews... they make me smile ^_^

**Chapter III: Butterbeer and Cards**

Harry made it back into his bed without incident, and fell asleep soundly, not waking until Neville opened his curtains and told him he was going to be late if he didn't get up. Ron had, of course, already left to meet Hermione. He thanked Neville and vaulted out of bed to go take a shower before he went down to breakfast.

The day passed unexceptionably... he was quiet at breakfast, but neither Ron nor Hermione noticed. He opened his mouth, on the verge of asking them to leave for classes early so he could talk to them about something, but then changed his mind as Hermione, giggling, allowed Ron to feed her strawberries, and concentrated on his waffles instead.

He skipped lunch and instead, returning to his dorm to get his cloak, walked down to Hogsmeade. He had an hour's study period after lunch, anyway, and as the returning students (all who had missed a significant portion of classes the year before were allowed to return, by Ministry decree) were now almost all legally of age, McGonagall had agreed that they would be allowed to leave Hogwarts at will.

The sun was beautiful, and he used the time to think about the situation with Malfoy. He would probably not be happy to see him at first, but Harry could sympathize with loneliness, especially with the current situation with Ron and Hermione. And besides, the war was over, Voldemort was dead, and it was time to fix things, he told himself reasonably. He and Draco were not on opposite sides anymore.

So if nothing else, he could make Malfoy's evenings a little less boring - and probably his own, he admitted, grimacing.

He entered Hogsmeade and went first to The Hog's Head, intending to get a Butterbeer. Madame Rosmerta brought it to him and smiled. She'd recovered from the Imperius curse nicely, although Harry had heard other students say that sometimes she could be seen staring off into space with a confused frown, as if she'd forgotten what she was doing.

On a sudden impulse, he spoke as she sat the frosted bottle in front of him. "Madame Rosmerta, would it be possible to find a Muggle deck of cards in Hogsmeade?"

She put a finger to her lips and made a pensive face. "Perhaps in Monsieur Rousseau's shop? He carries a wide variety of odd items. I know - " she paused, and her eyes welled up a bit " - I know the Headmaster used to go there often," she sniffled.

Harry had died to remove Voldemort's soul from his body.. At that moment, he would have gladly died again to avoid dealing with the woman's crying.

Thankfully, she blew her nose on her sleeve and hurried away behind the bar, leaving him to stare at the table as he sipped at the Butterbeer.

A few minutes later, he started down the street in the direction of Rousseau's Relics, following the directions Madame Rosmerta had given him - but of course, not until he'd spilled the remainder of his Butterbeer upon standing and then caught his ankle on the chair leg, causing himself to fall and get a nasty bruise on his knee.

Wincing at each step, he asked himself _why_, at eighteen, he still couldn't manage to keep from tripping over everything.

The shop looked quiet and unassuming. Even the sign over the door was faded and simple. He entered, looking up to see an old-fashioned Muggle bell ring as the door opened. A short, rather mousy-looking man scurried from the back room.

Twenty minutes and ten galleons later, Harry was in possession of one Muggle deck of cards, along with a box of self-sharpening, ever-renewing magical colored pencils and a sketchbook for himself. If nothing else, he would come with a distraction. Maybe Malfoy wouldn't kill him immediately.

Returning to classes, he wasn't surprised that only Neville and Luna had noticed that he was gone. He spent the rest of the day getting a feel for the new pencils. Drawing was a hobby he'd discovered over the summer, and one of the best things about drawing with magic was that whatever was drawn moved, in the same way as a magical portrait. Soon he had Ron's hand, clasping and releasing a glass of pumpkin juice, a lock of Luna's hair, Seamus's smile, and Ginny's profile. He snorted at the quality of them all, and closed the sketchbook and replaced the pencils in their box just as McGonagall stood and left the hall, passing him with a nod.

He stood hurriedly, muttering some unimportant excuse that nobody listened to, and followed her from the Hall. She said nothing as he followed her up stairs and down hallways, until he thought he had a good idea where they were going.

"The Room of Requirement?" he asked quietly, and she nodded.

"Yes. You must ask it to become Draco Malfoy's chambers," she added, as they approached the blank stretch of wall. She turned to leave, throwing over her shoulder, "Good luck!"

Harry looked after her with a bit of panic. She wasn't even going to come in and explain that he was allowed to be there? He gulped, and began pacing in from of the door, thinking, _I need you to become Draco Malfoy's chambers._ After three passes, the door appeared, and he knocked.

No noise came from inside the room. He knocked again, and almost choked as the door whipped open. Malfoy stood in the door, shirtless again.

"Potter?" he said, bewildered.

Harry did the only thing he could think of, and dug into his pocket, pulling out the Muggle cards. "I brought something," was his response, and he held them out, feeling like an idiot.

He half-expected Malfoy to shut the door again in his face. Or take the cards, smirk, and shut it. Or perhaps utter a few cutting remarks, then shut it.

What he did not expect was for Malfoy to stare at him for a moment, then grab his wrist and pull him through the doorway.


	4. Pity and War

  
**Title:** Dragonpox and Flying  
**Rating:** Chapters will vary but the story in general will be somewhere around PG-13 or a soft R.  
**Summary:** Harry has a problem with minding his own business, and Draco has a secret.  
**Author's Notes:** Harry spends an evening with everyone's favorite part-Veela. Sorry it's short, it seemed like this was the right part of the story to tell in this chapter. The next will be longer.

**Chapter IV: Pity and War**

Draco managed to drag him inside in one smooth motion, while Harry's foot caught on the carpet and he stumbled, falling against Draco. He felt the other's body stiffen and his breath catch before he shoved him away, hard.

"What the fuck are you doing here, Potter? How did you find out where I was?" Malfoy growled, trembling. His eyes were wide and his pupils had almost diappeared in a sea of silver-gray. Harry's eyes kept straying to the arched wings visible over his pale shoulders.

"McGonagall said I could come visit you! She said it would be good for you!" Harry retorted, regaining his balance and raising his head defiantly.

"McGonagall doesn't know shit!" Malfoy screamed, color rising in his wan face. "I don't have enough restraint be around people!"

And then it came to Harry, as he watched Draco's hands twitching while he panted for breath.

"You're scared," he stated quietly. _Not being able to control himself is killing him,_ Harry realized, and he felt a flash of pity.

Draco's face contorted into a grimace, then smoothed out again.

"You're the one who should be afraid, Potter," he hissed with a feral expression on his face, taking a step back. "Do you know how much control it takes to keep me from touching you right now?" A note of desperation entered his voice. "Do you know how strong the pull is for a Veela in the change?" He snorted, self-loathing evident on his face. "Of course you don't. You're Harry fucking Potter."

Harry realized his right hand had started cramping - it was clenched tight around the now-sweaty box of cards.

"We could play cards and keep a table between us," Harry offered, trying to keep the sympathy from his voice.

Draco opened his mouth for a moment, then, defeated, turn and walked to the table in the center of the room. Harry caught a glimpse of how the wings blended smoothly into the skin of Draco's back. A down feather dropped from the right wing as he watched, and drifted to the floor. He forced his eyes away hurriedly and examined the room. It was plain, with bookshelves lining the walls. A bed sat against the wall to his left, and a door to the right was ajar just enough for Harry to catch a glimpse of a sink.

Draco pulled a stool from under the table - as Harry approached it, he realized it was abnormally tall, coming to a little above his waist.

"Well? Shall we begin?" Draco snapped.

There was almost no talking after that, and they avoided each other's eyes as much as possible. They played three games of Muggle War - Harry explained the rules as quickly as possible, faced with Malfoy's impassive face - before Draco's hands began shaking too badly for him to hold the cards. He dropped them and then closed his eyes, jaw tight.

"Out, Potter," he whispered, gripping the edge of the table so tightly Harry saw his nails break. "Worse at night."

Harry began to gather the cards.

"Leave them - go - " Draco forced past gritted teeth as his wings began to spread slightly behind him. He opened his eyes and they were brillantly, burningly silver.

Harry fled. 


	5. Students and the Kiss

**Title:** Dragonpox and Flying  
**Rating:** Chapters will vary but the story in general will be somewhere around PG-13 or a soft R.  
**Summary:** Harry has a problem with minding his own business, and Draco has a secret.  
**Author's Notes:** The second visit. There's some... card stuff in this chapter. So there's some more author's notes at the end. Probably overly detailed explanation for the amount of time it's mentioned.  
Oh, and sorry this took so long, I had my Senior Prom Friday, slept most of the day Saturday, and spent some time with my boyfriend, who is feeling kind of neglected since I spent most of last week home after school 'cause I had "stuff to do", by which I really meant "fanfiction to read and/or write".  
Hope you like ^_^ and reviews, by the way, make me squee.

**Chapter V: Students and the Kiss**

Harry came back the next evening, although as he clambered out of the portrait hole and bruised his elbow, he wondered why he was going through this much trouble for Malfoy, of all people. The other boy would have never helped him in a similar situation. As a matter of fact, Harry realized, he probably would have told half the school.

But he kept walking. It was almost seven-thirty, so there were still students wandering the hallways. He passed several Gryffindor second-years, and just managed to keep a stolid expression on his face as they stared at him and started whispering to each other. Harry Potter was a name that the wizarding world wouldn't forget anytime soon, and the children entering Hogwarts who hadn't met him before he'd killed Voldemort looked at him as if he was some sort of mythical hero. Harry found it irritating, but put up with it because they reminded him in some odd way of Colin Creevey.

Of course, thinking of Colin made him think of Colin's body. He stopped that train of thought immediately and ran his hands through his hair, tugging at it.

He passed another group, this time of first-year Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs, and was struck by how young they were. They looked so small. At their age, he'd managed to defeat Voldemort himself (or rather, a seventh of himself, Harry thought bitterly) on the back of Quirrell's head. They had nothing more to worry over than classes and what was for lunch tomorrow and if the girl two rows over in Charms had a crush on them.

Harry had to admit he found anything of that sort petty now. After the Final Battle, how could anyone just go on as if nothing had happened? There were more important things than pretty girls.

He reached the Room of Requirement and paced in front of it til the door appeared. Glancing down the hallway both directions to make sure there was no one about, he knocked quietly.

When Draco opened the door, he looked weary - there was no other word to describe it. His hair was unwashed and his eyes were sunken. He opened the door and walked to the table, defeat in his stride.

"Back, are you?" he muttered.

"Are you, um, okay?" Harry asked, stepping forward reluctantly. He noticed that the cards he'd brought the night before were still on the table, and recognized a spread from Divination. He looked them over curiously - hearts and a jack of clubs, a six of diamonds - before Draco's hand swept them up. He added them to the deck and shuffled them deftly.

"I'm fine," Malfoy finally answered, putting the cards to the side and planting his hands flat on the table as if he was determined. "What are we playing at today, Potter?" he asked, setting his jaw.

"Um, well... I wondered if maybe you wanted to work on some of your work for the semester?" Harry asked, pulling his Potions book from his rucksack.

Draco's face twisted. "Potter, I can't use magic."

"Well, you're in the same Potions class as me so I figured we could work on that since it doesn't use magic - " Malfoy was staring at him as if he'd grown another head. "What?"

"Six years of Potions and you haven't realized that it uses magic? If it didn't, don't you think Muggles would be using half the things we've come up with? " he sputtered, shaking his head.

"Oh..." Harry bit his lip. "Whoops."

Draco picked up the pack of cards and began to shuffle them. "War again?" he asked, not meeting Harry's eyes. Harry could see that his hands were shaking slightly.

"Blackjack maybe?" Harry offered, reaching out to take the cards from him, his mind on the best way to explain the game.

His finger brushed against Malfoy's right thumb, just barely, as he slid the cards out of his hand. Before he realized that it had happened, Draco's other hand was tight around his wrist. Harry's eyes met his and he felt something in the bottom of his stomach clench. Draco's pupils were shrinking as he watched, leaving a wide ring of bright gray. Harry was mesmerized.

"Malf - Draco - " he managed, the pressure on his wrist beginning to hurt. The cards dropped from his hand as the grip tightened and a tendon shifted. Malfoy was leaning across the table now, pulling Harry closer by his arm. He was so close he could see Draco's pale eyelashes, and his eyes skittered down just in time to see a pink tongue dart out and move ever so slowly over Draco's chapped lips.

"Dra-Draco - " he stuttered, and realized with something like horror that he was getting hard.

Draco smiled, slow and lazy, and raised one perfect eyebrow. "Harry?" he whispered breathily, and Harry felt a shiver go down his spine and straight to his cock.

And then Draco pulled him closer and kissed him.

*************

Some explanation. The card spread that Draco was supposed to have left out on the table was the following... I don't think this will spoil anything, considering it's already well-established that this story is Harry/Draco.

1. Past influences contributing to the present situation.  
Card drawn: Eight of Clubs. Jealousy and greed, trouble in relationships. _Harry and Draco obviously always had a jealousy problem, and a rather troubled relationship._  
2. Choices and alternatives relating to the current situation.  
Card drawn: Nine of Hearts. Wishes coming true. _This one might make more sense later._  
3. Stability or instability of the current situation.  
Card drawn: Three of Hearts. The need to be cautious. Emotional problems. _I think we can all agree the two of them have a few emotional problems._  
4. Challenges in the situation.  
Card drawn: Six of Diamonds. Problems or arguments in a relationship. _Haha. This isn't much of a spoiler. Every relationship experiences problems._  
5. Help or hindrances.  
Card drawn: Five of Spades. Problems which will end well. _I write happy fics. Well, at least fics that end happily._  
6. People who are friends or foes in the situation.  
Card drawn: Jack of Clubs. A dark-haired, good-hearted youth who is a reliable friend. _Well, Harry's going to be a bit more than a friend._  
7. Final outcome of the situation.  
Card drawn: Ten of Hearts. Good luck, success, and happiness. _Yay!_


	6. Questions and Dreams

**Title:** Dragonpox and Flying  
**Rating:** Chapters will vary but the story in general will be somewhere around PG-13 or a soft R.  
**Summary:** Harry has a problem with minding his own business, and Draco has a secret.  
**Author's Notes:** I have been sick - or rather, I am sick still, most of this chapter was written while I was lying on my bed. It's either mono or strep throat, I'm pretty sure. Still, sorry I haven't updated sooner.  
And just a quick note: Reviewers, you are awesome. Thanks for drawing a few problems to my attention, and please, feel free to nitpick, because I know I make very odd mistakes sometimes. ETA: Melora, your review wasn't signed so I figured I would reply here - you are aware that Geocities is closing down in about two months, right?  
Hope this was worth the wait!

**Chapter V: Questions and Dreams**

Draco kissed him hard, so hard it almost hurt to have Harry's lips pressed against his teeth. He tried to back away and open his mouth to protest, but Draco's left hand snuck to the back of his head and held him in place, and his tongue took advantage of the parted lips to find Harry's.

Harry moaned, pretty sure he'd never experienced anything so amazing in his life, and Draco stiffened. He pulled away, stopping the kiss.

Harry opened his eyes - he wasn't even sure when he'd shut them - to see Draco's - still almost entirely brillant silver, close to his. He took a gasping breath, bringing his hand up to push his glasses back into place.

"What..." He tried to form a sentence, realizing he had no clue what he was asking. Draco's hand worked itself loose from his hair, and the blond backed away a bit more, still leaning over the table. His pupils were beginning to expand again, returning his eyes to black and gray, Harry noticed detachedly.

A second later, they'd reverted to normal, and a frightened expression started to creep over his face. He pulled his hands from the table quickly and sat up straight.

"Potter - I didn't - fuck, please don't tell Mcgonagall," the blond stuttered out, arms crossed as if he was hugging himself. His wings were twitching, flexing open and closed just like a startled bird's. He glanced back up at Harry and panic started to appear again. "Please?"

Harry wasn't quite sure what he was thinking at all, at the moment. He was still rather fuzzy from the kiss, and the tightness in his pants was rather distracting.

"Why not?" he managed, shifting a bit and trying desperately to think of something not related to sex at all. Dobby came to mind and he winced a little - but at least some of the blood was starting to return to his head.

"She'll remove me from the school! I'm supposed to be able to control myself and I'm not getting any better at it - I'm getting worse! Every time I'm around you I'm losing more and more control - " he paused, face going ghostly white.

"Potter, how have you been lately?" he asked.

"Huh?" Harry asked, confused. He shifted in his seat again, thanking any god that might exist that he wasn't hard anymore.

"That's not what I meant to say - Fuck!" Draco exploded, standing up and beginning to pace. Harry's eyes were drawn to his wings, the edges of the feathers catching the light like diamonds. "Have you been... more tired lately? Or clumsier than usual?"

Harry jumped. "How - how did you know? Do you know why?" he asked eagerly, standing as well. "I thought it was just normal, I mean, I'm getting a little taller finally - " he trailed off.

Draco had stopped dead in the middle of the floor, raising his face slowly to stare blankly at Harry. His wings rose and spread, sending a little gust of air across the room that blew up dust from the floor.

"Potter, leave. And don't come back. Ever. Don't touch me, don't come near me, don't speak to me," he said woodenly. He stood entirely still except for the fluttering motions of his wings.

"Wait what? Why?" Harry asked, stepping forward. That was a mistake. Draco's face twisted in anger and his wings began beating, slowly but strongly.

"Get _out_!" he screamed, his feet rising until even his toes had left the floor. His hands were clenched into fists so tight blood began welling from between his fingers.

Harry had braced himself, but seeing the blood drip to the floor as Draco floated, face flushed with rage, his famed Gryffindor courage failed. He turned tail and sprinted for the door, flinging it open and running til his chest began to ache. He tripped three times and the second, felt his knee blossom in pain as he skinned it through his trousers on the stone floor. When he stopped, he found himself close to the common room. He took a few minutes to calm himself, cast a quick _Episkey_ on his knee, and smoothed down his hair, his heart still beating frantically.

With a deep breath, he muttered the password, stepped into the common room, saw Ron and Hermione curled around each other on the couch in front of the fire, as usual, and growled in frustration before mounting the stair to the dorms.

"I'll just talk to Luna about it tomorrow, then," he muttered to himself, and then he laughed a bit at the thought he was considering going to Luna Lovegood for knowledge in Hermione's place. But he had no other choice. He didn't dare go back to McGonagall - if she knew how things were going, she would forbid him from seeing Malfoy anymore. Hermione would be useless for any real help with her current state of lovesickness, and he didn't know anyone in Ravenclaw except Luna and Cho Chang - and she hadn't spoken more than a few words to him since the beginning of the school year.

Besides, he thought with a slight guilty feeling, Luna would be more entertaining than Hermione could ever be.

He fell asleep with a frown on his face, thinking of what Draco could have possibly meant and what could be going on, and dreamt of the blond hovering in the air with those silver-white wings moving behind him. He looked like an angel, and in Harry's dream he was smiling, holding out his hands in invitation.

The dream shifted, and Draco was inches away from him, a smile on his face still, but more predatory. Harry closed the distance and kissed him, an urgent battle of tongues. He felt the dream-Draco move against him, slow but firm, and he could feel how hard Draco was as they ground their hips together.

Then he awoke, with the worst hard-on of his life, and groaned in frustration as nothing met his eyes but the canopy of his bed.

"Fuck," he whispered. "I want him, don't I?"

He cast a silencing charm on his bed, and was glad he had a few moments later as he came hard, moaning Draco's name as the canopy disappeared in a rush of pleasure.


	7. A Ravenclaw and Knowledge

**Title:** Dragonpox and Flying  
**Rating:** Chapters will vary but the story in general will be somewhere around PG-13 or a soft R.  
**Summary:** Harry has a problem with minding his own business, and Draco has a secret.  
**Author's Notes:** This took me forever... Graduation kinda got in the way. I cried like a baby, but I'm now part of Class of '09!  
Tell me what you think of this chapter, I'm a little ambivalent about it.

**Chapter VII: A Ravenclaw and Knowledge**

The next morning, he waited until the other boys in the dorm had left for the morning before gingerly detangling himself from his stained and sweat-damp sheets.

He came down to breakfast quietly and spotted Luna almost at once, alone at the end of the Ravenclaw table, as usual. She was reading a large, very delicate-looking book, and taking occasional bites from a dripping peach.

Harry had to wonder what Madame Pince would say if she'd seen such a dangerous eating method around one of her precious books.

Luna looked up with a brillant smile as Harry approached. "Hello Harry, how are you?" she asked, folding over a corner to mark her place in the book.

"I'm okay, I guess. I was wondering - Luna, do you think maybe we could go talk in the library?" he asked, lowering his voice a bit.

"Why, of course!" she smiled, snapping the book closed and standing at once.

When they reached the library, Luna sat down and put the book to one side, staring at him earnestly. "What did you want to ask me about, Harry?"

"Do you know anything about veelas?" he asked, sitting as well and leaning forward to catch every word.

***

An hour later, he walked from the library, feeling as if he was floating. Luna had been as informative as usual, although he could have done without the random stories about her great-grandmother who had been half veela, and liked rhubarb pie.

And the most important things he'd learned were about veela bonding. Veelas bonded for life, always to a human, and while that left their human counterparts free to choose not to be with them, the veela would waste away over time and slowly become more and more unstable. Most veela rejected after finding their mates died within a year.

The veela would find themselves attracted to all others, to a certain level, but to their mate above all. All humans in the company of a newly maturing veela would be attracted, except for their mate, who would have the ability to resist the veela's charm. However, the human would also suffer the consequences of a rejected bond. Sleeplessness, fatigue, clumsiness, aches and pains which never quite seemed to go away - those were the first consequences, and they became worse and worse. After long enough, the veela's mate would become aged beyond their years - Luna's turn of phrase - and eventually die.

Harry had realized, at this point, what was going on, and Luna stopped at the look on his face.

"I think I need to go," Harry muttered, standing up.

"Good luck," Luna said, smiling secretively.

Harry would have asked how she seemed to know what was going on, but he'd found long ago that Luna had her ways.

He went back to the Gryffindor common room, played a game of chess with Ron - trying to ignore Hermione's hand rubbing over Ron's thigh in a way that was not in the least bit appropriate.

He won the game, beating Ron for the first time in years. Afterwards, Hermione and Ron retreated to the couch in front of the fireplace to snog and giggle quietly.

Harry waited a few minutes, then slipped out the portrait.

In just a few minutes, he'd reached the wall that hid the Room of Requirement, and knocked quietly on the door.


	8. Confrontations and Clothing

  
**Title:** Dragonpox and Flying  
**Rating:** Chapters will vary but the story in general will be somewhere around PG-13 or a soft R.  
**Summary:** Harry has a problem with minding his own business, and Draco has a secret.  
**Author's Notes:** Wow... I have seriously been lax in updating. I'm now a member of the Sa1em College class of 2013 (nobody stalk me now, please). I has internet constantly and (hopefully) time between classes to type and shit... More updates in the future :)  
I don't want this to degenerate into PWP so warn me if you think this goes too far in that direction.

**Chapter VIII: Confrontations and Clothing**

Harry raised his hand to knock, but before he could, Draco opened the door, wings folded neatly behind him. The floor was littered with snowy feathers.

He looked drawn and pale, but his eyes glittered and his jaw was set.

"Leave. I told you to not come here again."

"No," Harry responded. The blond took a step forward, lips parting a bit - Harry's mind went back to the dream of the night before.

"I don't want you here," Draco growled. Harry took a step forward, too, so close now that their bodies were only inches apart, and smiled.

"I think you do," he whispered, and he brought a hand up, turned Draco's face, and kissed him hard, pulling him close with his other arm. He shifted his hips a bit and was delighted to find an echoing hardness. And then Draco responded, pulling him into the room.

The door closed behind them and they were on the bed soon after - Harry didn't remember the inbetween - and then Draco was kneeling, unfastening his trousers and pulling down his pants and oh god oh god - he'd never felt anything so wonderful, never, and before he could do anything than utter a few moaning nonsensical words, Draco did something with his mouth and gently tugged on his balls at the same time and everything exploded.

"Fuck - Merlin - oh please - oh god - " the lights behind his eyes just kept exploding. It seemed like ages later that he stopped shuddering and let his body slump to the bed, and Draco crawled up next to him, licking his lips, and bent over him and kissed him hard before kneeling back on the bed next to him. His wings were high and twitching slightly, and he had a satisfied but somehow innocent half-smile on his face.

"Bloody hell... that was... amazing, Malfoy," Harry managed, closing his eyes and running his hand through his hair.

After a second or two of silence, he opened his eyes again. Draco's eyes were wide and he brought a shaking hand up to cover his mouth.

Before Harry could say anything, the blond stepped from the bed in one fluid motion and fled the room.

Harry sat up and looked down at his trousers, thrown over the end of the bed, and sighed.

"Wonderful. Now I have to go find him." 


	9. Assent and a Chance

**Title:** Dragonpox and Flying  
**Rating:** Chapters will vary but the story in general will be somewhere around PG-13 or a soft R.  
**Summary:** Harry has a problem with minding his own business, and Draco has a secret.  
**Author's Notes:** This only took forever. Sorry! I know it's not long, but I'm in the process of writing Chapter 10 right now, so it should be up soon as well.

**Chapter IX: Assent and a Chance**

When he finally caught up to Draco (following the scattered feathers helped), he was at the top of the Astronomy tower, perched on the parapet, staring off into the distance towards the Forbidden Forest.

"Mal- Draco?" Harry asked, approaching slowly.

"I promised her I wouldn't," Draco whispered, almost too low to hear. "I promised. I told her I would control it, that I could control it, and I didn't. And now I've spoiled her Golden Boy as well."

"How do you think you've spoiled me?" Harry asked, leaving the rest aside.

"I've - veelas - veelas mate, Potter. We don't know why or how, but they're attracted to one person above all else. And that person is you. And that can't happen."

"Why not?" Harry asked, close enough now that he eased in between Draco's wings and the wall. He placed his hands carefully on the stone wall, close enough that he was almost touching one of Draco's bare feet.

"You're Harry Potter, savior of the wizarding world, destroyer of Voldemort," Draco said with a snort, still refusing to look at him.

"That shouldn't matter. And if you push me away you're not just going to die. You're going to kill me too, you know," Harry said, his tone conversational. He saw Draco's head snap around at that, and he looked up, meeting his bright eyes. "Luna told me everything. It's not something you could control, being - attracted - to me. You know I didn't kiss you or - anything else," he stumbled, " - because of the attraction. It doesn't work on me. It's just me," he finished, awkwardly, trying not to fidget. "At least give us a try."

Draco stared at him for a moment, face still and eyes shuttered. Then he blinked, focusing on Harry again.

"Okay," he said, making a little hop backwards so he was standing inside the wall of the Astronomy Tower instead of on it. "Okay," he repeated, and stepping closer, he brought his lips to Harry's and a hand to the side of his neck.

Before Harry let his eyes drift shut, he could see Draco's wings close around them, shining brightly even in the half-light.


End file.
